Stakeholder Identification and Engagement Policy

Policy Statement

An-Najah National University ("the University") identifies its local external stakeholders systematically and engages them through structured, two-way and transparent mechanisms. The University does so to serve the community of Nablus, the northern West Bank and Palestine, and to ensure that its education, research, health services and community work respond to local needs.

Purpose

This policy sets out:

1. who the University's external stakeholders are, by category and sector;

2. the procedure for identifying, assessing and registering them;

3. the mechanisms for engaging them, including in institutional decision-making;

4. the responsibilities, monitoring and review arrangements that make the policy work.

Scope

• This policy applies to all faculties, deanships, research centers and institutes, An-Najah National University Hospital, administrative units, and all staff who initiate or manage relationships with external parties.

• It covers research cooperation, training and internships, consultancy, community service, policy advice, participation in university governance, and joint projects.

• Relationships with students, staff and the Board of Trustees as internal stakeholders fall outside this policy.

Definitions

Stakeholder: any individual, group or organization that affects, is affected by, or has a legitimate interest in the University's activities.

Local external stakeholder: an organization or group outside the University that operates in Nablus Governorate, the northern West Bank or Palestine, and has an existing or potential relationship with the University.

International stakeholder: a UN agency, international NGO, donor, foreign government body or foreign university whose work with the University is delivered in, or affects, the local community.

Engagement: any planned two-way interaction with a stakeholder, ranging from information sharing and consultation to joint decision-making and partnership.

Stakeholder Register: The University's central record of external stakeholders, their category, engagement level, responsible unit and active agreements.

Engagement owner: the University unit or staff member responsible for a given stakeholder relationship.

Principles

All engagement with external stakeholders shall follow these principles:

1. Mutual benefit: every relationship creates value for both the University and the stakeholder.

2. Mission alignment: engagement supports the University's mission in education, research, health and community service.

3. Inclusion: marginalized and underrepresented groups, including refugees, people with disabilities, women and children, are actively included.

4. Transparency and accountability: roles, commitments and results are documented and reported.

5. Integrity and independence: conflicts of interest are declared and managed, and no agreement may compromise the University's academic freedom or decision-making.

6. Sustainability: relationships aim at long-term capacity building rather than one-off activities.

Stakeholder categories

The University recognizes the following nine categories of external stakeholders. Examples are drawn from the University's Stakeholder and are illustrative only.

#	Category	Includes	Areas of engagement
1	Central government	Ministries, public authorities, regulatory and oversight bodies	Policy advice, training of officials, applied research, data sharing
2	Local government	Municipalities, village and joint service councils, governorate offices	Urban planning, local development, heritage, student community service
3	Private sector	Industry, ICT, telecoms, banking, trade and investment companies	Internships, employability, contract research, innovation and incubation
4	Engineering and technical firms	Consulting engineers, contractors, testing laboratories, technology providers	Practical training, testing services, joint design projects, program advisory boards
5	Health and medical sector	Hospitals, clinics, public health bodies, pharmaceutical and medical-supply companies	Clinical training, hospital services, clinical research, health awareness
6	Professional associations and unions	Professional syndicates and public-sector unions	Program review, licensing alignment, continuing education
7	Civil society and NGOs	Local NGOs, charities, community-based groups, groups serving vulnerable populations	Needs assessment, volunteering, legal and psychosocial clinics, inclusion projects
8	International organisations	UN agencies, international NGOs, development agencies, foreign universities	Funded projects, capacity building, refugee and education programs
9	Local community	Residents, schools, alumni, religious and cultural institutions, independent experts	Outreach, public lectures, consultations, service feedback

A stakeholder belonging to more than one category is registered under its principal mission.

Procedures

1. Identifying stakeholders

Each faculty, center and the University Hospital shall identify its local external stakeholders at the start of every academic year, as follows:

1. Scan: list current and potential stakeholders in each category of Section 5.2, using existing agreements, training sites, advisory boards, funded projects, alumni employers, official directories and community requests.

2. Assess: rate each stakeholder from 1 to 3 on four criteria: influence; interest in or impact from the University's work; potential contribution; and representation of marginalized groups.

3. Priorities: assign an engagement level from the total score:

Score (4–12)	Engagement level	Typical form
10–12	Strategic partner	MoU, seat on a council or advisory board, joint programs
7–9	Active collaborator	Project agreements, training, consultations
4–6	Informed party	Events, newsletters, periodic consultation

4. Register: record each stakeholder in the Stakeholder Register with its category, engagement level, engagement owner, agreements and last engagement date.

5. Validate: the Office of Partnerships and External Relations reviews submissions, removes duplicates, and confirms that local government, civil society and the local community are represented in each unit's list.

6. Update: the Register is updated annually and whenever an agreement is signed or ended.

2. Engaging stakeholders

3. Each category shall be engaged through at least the following mechanisms:

Category	Mechanisms	Minimum Frequency
Central government	Expert consultation, MoUs, joint committees, training for officials	Annual review of each MoU
Local government	Joint development projects, technical studies, community-service placements	Twice a year
Private sector	Faculty advisory boards, internships, career fairs, contract research, incubation	Twice a year
Engineering firms	Program advisory boards, sponsored graduation projects, testing and consultancy	Twice a year
Health and medical sector	Clinical training agreements, hospital partnerships, clinical research, health campaigns	Annually
Professional associations	Program review, continuing education, joint conferences	Annually
Civil society and NGOs	Needs assessments, volunteering, legal and psychosocial clinics	Twice a year
International organizations	Project steering committees, capacity-building programs	Each project cycle
Local community	Public consultations, open days, lectures, annual satisfaction survey	Annually

• Every new engagement shall: (a) begin with consultation on the stakeholder's needs; (b) be set out in a written agreement stating objectives, roles, resources, timeline and evaluation criteria; (c) be screened for conflicts of interest; (d) collect stakeholder feedback within 30 days of each milestone; and (e) be recorded in the Stakeholder Register.

• Representatives of local government, industry, professional unions, NGOs and the community shall be included in the Board of Trustees, college councils, academic advisory boards and research-center boards, so that stakeholders take part in university decision-making.

Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Board of Trustees	Endorses this policy and its revisions.
President and Vice President for Community Affairs	Own the policy; approve strategic partnerships and the annual engagement report.
Office of Partnerships and External Relations	Maintains the Stakeholder Register, validates annual identification, keeps agreement records, prepares the annual report.
Deans, center directors and Hospital management	Carry out annual identification in their units, appoint engagement owners, chair advisory boards.
Deanship of Community Service and Continuing Education	Leads engagement with local government, NGOs and the local community.
Deanship of Scientific Research and InnoPark	Lead research, industry and innovation partnerships.
Legal Affairs Unit	Reviews agreements and conflict-of-interest declarations.
Engagement owners	Manage each relationship, record activities and collect feedback.

Monitoring, Reporting and Review

The Office of Partnerships and External Relations shall publish an annual Stakeholder Engagement Report each September, covering:

• registered stakeholders by category;

• active agreements and those reviewed during the year;

• stakeholder representatives on university boards and councils;

• consultations held and stakeholder satisfaction results;

• engagements involving marginalized or vulnerable groups.

This policy shall be reviewed every three years, or earlier if required by changes in law, University strategy or stakeholder feedback.

 

Effective Date: October 12, 2016

Review Date: May 3, 2025